Clown loaches for 40 gallon?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Yes, that is what I am saying. Well-fed and cared for clown loaches grow quickly to a size of four or five inches and then slow down in their growth significantly to half-an-inch or an inch per year.

Check out loaches.com for more info.

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you can keep them in a 40 gallon for a LONG time. They do grow to more than a feet but that'll take around a decade lol
 
lix.ma14 said:
you can keep them in a 40 gallon for a LONG time. They do grow to more than a feet but that'll take around a decade lol
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Agreed.

Clown loaches can grow to 5inch in 1year if it starts at the normal 2 to 3inch that we find them. That a total of 2 to 3inch growth. Not 5inch in 1year.
 
EmilyMarie85 said:
Still no... clown loaches spurt grow to approx. 5 inches and then growth slows to a snail pace. The minimum recommended tank size for clowns is 75g (as a starting point), due in part to (1) keeping 5 minimum together is recommended, for various reasons (2) they are bottom dwellers, gallons don't matter as much as footprint does, and they like to sprint and (3) they flourish in fast moving clean water.

Keeping them in too small of an environment for extended periods of time can lead to stunted growth and other health issues.
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I agree 75gal is gd, but def not needed as a minimum for small clowns. A 20 or 30 gal tank is fine for a shoal of 5 or 6 2 to 3inch clown loaches for a starter tank.

I disagree that too small of an environment has a direct effect on stunted growth. What stunts fish is lack of food. Fish outgrow tanks if fed properly.
 
JayC74 said:
I agree 75gal is gd, but def not needed as a minimum for small clowns. A 20 or 30 gal tank is fine for a shoal of 5 or 6 2 to 3inch clown loaches for a starter tank.

I disagree that too small of an environment has a direct effect on stunted growth. What stunts fish is lack of food. Fish outgrow tanks if fed properly.
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I agree that this would be okay as a starter tank, but wouldn't want the poor fish being stuck in the tank for longer than "starter" periods. IMO, it's dangerous to buy fish for a tank that one doesn't own. Life happens, and then the tank you were going to get for your fish, you don't.

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JayC74 said:
I agree 75gal is gd, but def not needed as a minimum for small clowns. A 20 or 30 gal tank is fine for a shoal of 5 or 6 2 to 3inch clown loaches for a starter tank.

I disagree that too small of an environment has a direct effect on stunted growth. What stunts fish is lack of food. Fish outgrow tanks if fed properly.
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There are several factors that affect the growth rate of clown loaches and too small of an environment is one of them. Several species of fish can become stunted when in too small of a tank, not just clown loaches. Google it. Other factors do include food (not just lack of, but also quality) as well as internal parasites (Google skinny disease) and water quality.

One reason a 75g is considered minimum for a shoal of clowns is because given proper conditions they can and will spurt grow to around 5". If you do choose to keep them in a 30g or 40g tank long term, yes they are going to grow slower because of their environment... which is part of the reason so much miss information on clown loaches is out there. Local chain stores sell them at 1.5" and tell people they will be perfect for their 30g tank. Not knowing any better, the fish keeper takes them home tosses them in with their guppies, feeds them flake food and 2 years later they are either dead or still small, which is where the stories "yeah I put my clowns in a 30g tank 2 years ago and they are doing great, they just grow really slow!" or "I don't have good luck with clown loaches, they are too hard to keep alive" come from. Try putting them in a 75g, feed high quality food in small amounts 3X a day and provide excellent water filtration and water movement. Keep their water quality pristine. See what happens.

For a temporary situation (such as a 6 week QT) small clowns will be ok in a 20g or 30g tank. Keep in mind though, they are susceptible to certain diseases, especially at that young age, so keeping up on water changes will be very important.

Another thing to consider OP, regardless of this current "20g/30g/40g vs. 75g yes or no" debate we have going on, LONG term they are going to need a much larger tank. They can reach 16"+ and live for 20+ years (given proper environment and care). My shoal started in a 75g, then moved into a 125g and are now in a 210g. I am planning their next upgrade to be at least around the 400g mark. Of course, you can always grow them out to whatever size and sell them, but if you do plan to keep them just an FYI, they can turn into an expensive long-term commitment.
 
EmilyMarie85...If the chain stores just told the customers to feed high protein foods like (market shrimp, mussel meat, hihari jumbo mysis, PE mysis, etc) instead of flake food for their clowns in 30gal there wouldn't be many stunted clown loaches.
Yes, they're gonna need more frequent water changes for this type of diet in a smaller tank, but it can be done and stunted loaches won't be an issue.
As long as a fish can pivot in a tank, it has the possibility of thriving and reaching it's full size potential
 
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